“That’s okay,” Flynn rumbled. “I got you.” He pulled me into his arms and squeezed me. “This hug’s for Holden.”
I held him back, tight. “Thanks.”
“Yeah,” Holden said, an odd note in his voice. “Thank you, Flynn.”
“Anytime.”
“But don’t think this lets you off the hook for fucking my little brother behind my back.”
I jerked out of the hug so fast I nearly fell down. “What the fuck, Holden! You just said?—”
He laughed, and I faltered. I glanced up at Flynn, who looked just as confused as I was.
“Sorry,” Holden said. “You deserved a little shit after hiding this from me.”
“I’m real sorry about that,” Flynn said.
“He wanted to tell you from the start, but I knew you’d bring up school, and I wasn’t ready to talk about all that.”
Holden nodded. “I understand, but from now on, we need to be honest, Bailey. Even if it’s hard, even if we’re not on the same page. If I don’t like what you have to say, I’ll get over it. But donothide what you’re feeling.”
“I got it,” I said. “No more secrets.”
“Good. Now let’s go pack a bag and head home for the weekend. We’ve got a big birthday dinner planned. We’re not going to let a little crime get in the way of a good time, right?”
I grinned. “Yeah. And this year, I actually get my birthday wish.” I leaned into Flynn’s side. “Right, babe?”
“Whatever you want,” Flynn said.
“Just you.” I smiled up at him, sappy as shit, but I didn’t care. I felt a hundred pounds lighter after coming clean to Holden.
Tonight had started off shitty, but it had forced me to face some hard truths, and what do you know? The sky hadn’t fallen on my head.
Holdenwasdisappointed, even if he didn’t lay all the blame on me. I hoped I could make it up to him, and that eventually he’d see that he’d already given me everything I needed to make good choices.
To live right and to live happy.
With my brothers. At home.
With Flynn by my side.
CHAPTER 25
Flynn
It wasdamn near three in the morning when we got back to Riverton, and we were all exhausted and emotionally drained. Holden didn’t argue when Bailey said he was going to drive his car back and crash with me, but I saw the twitch next to his eye that said he wasn’t totally happy with the arrangement.
Bailey was his youngest brother—practically like a son to him—and he’d just shacked up with an ex-con. Holden was trying, and hell, he hadn’t fired me or threatened to have me mauled by Axel’s dogs, so I was calling it a win.
Bailey slept in my arms, and in the morning, we had a sleepy make-out session that finished in the shower.
“Not a bad way to start a birthday,” Bailey said with a smile.
“How are you doing?” I asked. “I know how much you care about what Holden thinks.”
Bailey shrugged one shoulder, wearing a pained smile. “I can’t live for him. I have to accept that.”
“No, you can’t,” I agreed, picking up a loofah and rubbing it over his back. “If he loves you as much as I think he does, he doesn’t want you to do that, anyway.”
